Collide
by mindgames0145
Summary: Part of my "playlist" collection. Based on the song Collide by Howie Day... Mako wakes to find Korra sleeping against him, and he welcomes it. The view point is kind of a mixture between 3rd person and Mako in 3rd person. Half past half present tense.


The light is barely breaking through the window, but it's enough to wake the drowsy firebender from his slumber.

His amber eyes glow in the sunlight and slowly adjust to see in the lightened room. He goes to sit up, but feels a soft pressure on his chest and looks down to find Korra's head resting there lightly. A smile finds its way to his face, and he settles back down, placing his hand on her head to pet her hair.

It's not often that he wakes to find her clinging to him; she usually has her back to him and he's the one clutching her. He enjoys this rarity. He can feel her legs intertwined with his, and the closeness is something he thoroughly enjoys.

They hadn't meant to start a relationship; neither of them had been looking to each other for something beyond friendship. They just kept colliding.

At first it was fighting, or lack of fighting, they were always either having yelling matches or wouldn't speak more than two syllables at most to each other. But they kept being pushed together by Bolin, by the city, by the spirits.

Thinking about it now, he realizes that they didn't even meet each other in a normal fashion; she had snuck into the arena and Bolin had come to her aid, bringing her up to the lockers to watch the match from a decent spot. And that's when Mako met her.

_Spirits_ Mako thinks to himself, _what an impression I made._ He recalls his offsetting behavior, shrugging her off and telling Bolin to get rid of her. Of course he had just thought she was another fan girl, but that wasn't the case.

She makes a small sound and nuzzles further into his chest, clutching at the smooth exposed muscles of his side.

He adjusts slightly and sighs.

She had made quite an impression too. She was enthusiastic, and kept trying to get him to respond to her, and of course he had, just not in a way she could notice. Mako had immediately taken a liking to her; her enthusiasm, her boisterousness, her beauty, her dark skin, the way the smell of salt water drifted around her. But it had annoyed him; he didn't have time to fall for one of Bolin's fangirls. And then she came out as an earthbender, when they had both expected water. Then she came out as a multi-bender, which could only mean…. _You're the avatar, and I'm an idiot._ He remembers his words exactly. He had been listening in to his baby brother's conversation with this new girl he had already developed insatiable feelings for. _I'm an idiot._ He'd meant that not only for not realizing who she was and having treated her so poorly, but also because he had already developed feelings for her, and it had to have been her, the avatar, making things even more difficult and messy.

He hugs her tighter to his chest, but is cautious not to wake her up, still enjoying this stolen time. It was very rare for them to have silence. Korra's not one to keep her mind to herself, or her thoughts, or her opinions. Most of the time he likes that about her, partially because he's always been quiet, cautious of what he says, so he can stay out of trouble and take care of Bolin without losing his temper. Now Korra tends to help him find his voice, and she has all along. Although, she also stuns him speechless quite often, either by something she does, or says, or the way she looks at him, or the way she looks in general.

She was a magnificent person. _But of course she'd be; she's the avatar, _Mako reminds himself, and looks at the sleeping woman next to him. She's so peaceful when she's sleeping. She can finally let the world and all her worries and troubles melt from her when she sleeps. She can forget about how they lost the tournament to cheaters, and how she and Chief Bei Fong had lost Amon, and about how Amon had promised to come for her later. She can forget it all, so long as she doesn't have a nightmare and shoot awake, shaking and hugging her knees, Mako hugging her tightly trying to comfort and calm her, reassure her that it was only a nightmare. But that's not what's playing in her mind right now, as she breaths evenly and shallowly in and out, comfortable in her proximity with him and either having a pleasant dream or no dream at all. She's not worried about failing at this moment in time.

"Mako" she slurs, and he worries he's woken her, but nothing's changed; she's still fast asleep. He lets his smile grow and rests his cheek on her head. Although it worries him that he's in her dream, that she thinks about him constantly, he can't help but be proud; she loves him. And he loves her, but he doesn't deserve her, and he's always scared that he'll hurt her in some way, because she cares so much about him, and he's a self-proclaimed idiot.

But he loves her, and would never purposely do anything to hurt her. For now, he will happily continue to enjoy this rare moment with her. As she snuggles into him once more, he's overjoyed to have her, and he knows that he'll never let her go.


End file.
